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Thursday, July 27, 2017

In an effort to get all Singaporeans to upgrade their skills in an
ever-fast changing world to meet global challenges, the Singapore Government
has come up with a skills future credit in which those who attend training
courses need not have to fork out cash, but can use the skills credits to pay
for a wide range of approved courses.

Time and again government leaders have been reminding Singaporeans to
attend training courses.

Unfortunately, the take-up rate for the skills credit scheme for
training courses is weak, and there is a dire need to examine why many
unemployed Singaporeans are not taking advantage of this scheme.

It was only when I attended a training course that I now fully
understand why this is so. Let me recap my experience.

I am 67 years old, a Singapore citizen and have been unemployed for more
than 10 years. I recently attended an 8-day full-time course (4 modules) that
was conducted by Asia Gold Bell Singapore in Paya Lebar. This is to equip me
with the necessary skills to get back into the workforce.

The 4 modules included:

(a) Maintain personal presentation at supervisory level.

(b) Communicate and relative effectively.

(c) Work in a team.

(d) Solve problems and make decisions at operational level.

The course was full funded by the Government using the skills credit.
The trainer, Keith Yuen was very good. Kudos to Yuen for motivating the 20
participants.

I was told that people like myself are not allowed to claim a training
allowance through workfare. I have been unemployed for more than a decade. On
the other hand, those who are currently employed can claim the training
allowance through the workfare scheme. There were several participants who are
unemployed.

May I ask if the government is prepared to review the scheme to provide
a training allowance for the total number of training hours for Singaporeans
who want to upgrade themselves. In my case, this work out works out to 36
training hours?

The course started on Monday 17th July and ended on Wednesday 26th July
2017. It does not make sense to me that those who are employed can be given a
training allowance while those who are out of work can’t make any claim
whatsoever.

Participants had little or no choice but to take their meals which
include breakfast and lunch at the Kopi Tiam Food Court at this place. It is
expensive to eat at the food court and the meals cost at least $10 per day, which
works out to around $80 for the 8 days training. Then what about transport
cost? For Singaporeans who are unemployed, it will be a financial strain on
them. This amount can be used for 2 weeks marketing for those who are jobless.
More so when the cost of living is skyrocketing.

On the 19th July 2017, I wrote to the Employment & Employability
Institute, e2i as well as phoned one of the staff there, but at first no one
was willing to give me a reply. I then had to write an email to Mr Heng Chee
How in his capacity as Deputy Secretary of NTUC and copied it to Mr Chan Chun
Sing, the Secretary General of NTUC, having to explain myself all over again.

Mr Heng who is a fine gentleman and who cares about my welfare and that
of all Singaporeans took the imitative and informed the management of e21. This
is the kind of leader Singapore needs.

On Thursday 27th July, a Ms Irene, coach at e21 phoned me to apologize
for the delay in replying to me as she informed me she was on leave.

In striving for excellence, let us not just implement a scheme or policy
without studying the implications. Moreover, the media has an important role to
play in highlighting constructive and useful suggestions. Forums letters that
can help make improvements to any policy or scheme should be published with a
mindset that active citizenry plays an important role in nation-building.

Policies that are outdated or not fine-tuned will not help to build a
better society. We cannot have a “one-size fit all” scheme that benefits some
Singaporeans, and does not provide the much-needed support for another group of
Singaporeans.

I would therefore urge the Singapore Government to consider reviewing
the skills credit scheme to allow unemployed Singaporeans to be given the same
training allowance that employed Singaporeans get when they attend such
courses.

I have every confidence that if such an allowance can be given to
unemployed Singaporeans, much more jobless Singaporeans will be motivated to
attend training courses to upgrade themselves, and the scheme will become a
success story.

The Ministry of Manpower and NTUC could undertake a brainstorming
project to fully understand why the skills credit scheme is not working as well
as it ought to. Civil servants must feel ‘comfortable’ to give their points of
view and provide useful suggestions to improve the lives of all Singaporeans.

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

"We all use language to communicate, to express
ourselves, to get our ideas across, and to connect with the person to whom we
are speaking. When a relationship is working, the act of communicating seems to
flow relatively effortlessly. When a relationship is deteriorating, the act of
communicating can be as frustrating as climbing a hill of sand."

- Chip Rose, attorney and mediator -

I have, with much sadness, followed closely the
on-going feud between Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong and his siblings Lee
Hsien Yang and Dr Lee Wei Ling.

While Workers Party Chief Low Thia Khiang and
his fellow members of Parliament are of the view that the best way to settle
the dispute is for PM Lee to sue his siblings for the serious allegations
(“Dispute should be resolved in court: WP Chief’), I fully support PM Lee’s
view that it would not do any good to sue his own siblings for they are still
his own flesh and blood (Suing siblings cannot be my preferred choice, says PM
Lee”; Monday 3rd July 2017,
The Strait Times)

It is troubling that because of this unsettled
feud, the whole Lee family is paraded on the world – and for all the wrong
reasons.

When it comes to getting money, often, sadly,
there is no such as family.Many
families get caught into this unfortunate predicament, and that’s the harsh
reality. Certainly, those with special needs have to get better protection as
their conditions can be taken advantage of and be deprived of a fair share when
properties are sold.

While social media is useful is raising
awareness of social problems, it can also be unhelpful in some ways.

If one looks at the many problems
that arise in relationships, you would be able to find a common pattern – many
people just don’t know how to communicate or at least communicate in an
effective manner.

American psychologist, philosopher and author
William James once said: “Whenever you're in conflict with someone, there is
one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship or
deepening it.That factor is
attitude.”

As with any relationship, every happy
successful partnership begins and ends with the same ingredient – the
willingness to negotiate.Unfortunately,
as human beings, we have the tendency of not wanting to submit.We do not want to admit that we are wrong as
it can be seen as “losing face.”

Bear in mind that bitterness only eats inside
of us and will eventually destroy us. One problem that should not be
ignored is physical illness. When you’re bitter, you’re causing your body stress, and
sustained stress can make you sick. In addition, bitterness robs you of your
chance to be happy.

I have always admired Dr Lee Wei Ling as she
has been an extraordinary caregiver to her father, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
She was always there for him – often 24/7.Caregiving is extremely taxing and entails huge sacrifices.Perhaps this arduous journey could have taken
a toll on her with her being bent on protecting her dad and his wishes.Dr Lee should have been given an award by the
Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Family and Development for her
remarkable caregiving responsibilities.It is not too late to do so.

Now that both PM Lee and his siblings have
made their views public, let us put an end to the squabbling and begin the
healing process. Top-notch family therapists and counsellors could help with
reconciliation efforts.

For all intents and purposes, let’s remember
that it takes years to build trust and just seconds to destroy it. This applies
to marriage, while studying, nation-building , at the workplace and in the
community.

With the Lunar New Year 7 months away, I am
sure all Singaporeans would love to see the Lees reunite for the reunion dinner
on the eve of this beautiful spring festival.

Footnote: I had earlier submitted a shorter version of
this article to the Forum Editor of The Strait Times, but he chose not to
publish it. In fact, of late all my
letters to the Forum Page of the ST have been rejected.